


Where Colors Blend

by fairlylocaldreamer



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: F/M, Happy Ending, Jebby - Freeform, M/M, Soulmate AU, idk its cute, josh sees color and tyler doesn't, jyler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-10-02 07:06:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17259782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairlylocaldreamer/pseuds/fairlylocaldreamer
Summary: Soulmate AU- when you meet your soulmate, the world goes from black and white to colorful. there's only one problem: josh sees color, and tyler doesn't.





	Where Colors Blend

josh remembers seeing color for the first time.

it wasn't the first time he met him, no. when josh met tyler, he only saw in gray and black and white. after josh talked to tyler, walked away with a new number in his phone, he only saw in gray and black and white.

it is a couple years later, when they are crashed on josh's ratty old couch playing Mario Kart, that josh happens to glance over at tyler and nearly falls off.

because he's  _tan_. and his hair is a dark, lovely brown, his eyes are chestnut and everything around him is just so  _pretty_ and  _alive._

"dude," tyler said, his eyes still focused on the screen, which was now  _green and blue and red and purple_ , "I get that I'm a total bombshell, but you gotta stop staring at me or you'll lose."

and that's when josh realizes the universe _fucked up_. because you're only supposed to see color when you meet your soulmate. but josh still saw in black and gray and white when he met tyler, and now that he sees  _color_ ,  _tyler doesn't._

he wants to tell tyler. scream at him, shake him until he sees the same things he does. but instead, he just returns his numb attention to the screen and keeps playing. he doesn't tell anyone.

 

"DUDE!" tyler bursts into josh's room and scares the living shit out of him.

"what? what's wrong?"

"nothing! nothing's wrong, can't you see?" tyler laughs and even though josh is confused, the sound of it still makes him smile. until tyler says, "it's so pretty, and alive, and josh, everything is so much better! I can see it, josh! I can see color!"

and josh understands. tyler has met someone, his soulmate, and now he sees the world in the way josh has been seeing it all these years. something swells up inside josh, threatening to break him, but instead he smiles weakly and says, "no way, dude! what happened?"

tyler talks about how he ran into a girl while grabbing snacks at the grocery store. he knocked a couple things over and as he was bending down to pick them up, mumbling apologies, he happened to look up at the girl helping him and her eyes were  _blue_. they both froze, taking each other in before the girl stood slowly and said, "my name's jenna."

josh's heart slowly breaks with each excited word tyler speaks.

 

tyler was right. jenna's eyes are a piercing light blue, her hair blonde, skin fair and lips pink. she's stunning. and josh  _wants_ to hate her, but he  _can't_ , she's too damn nice and tyler looks at her like she's the best thing that's ever happened to him because she  _is._

she makes him happy, she calms him down, she makes sure he's getting enough sleep and takes care of both of them when she comes along on their tour. so josh can't hate her, she's just too  _sweet_.

he reminds himself that tyler doesn't see color because of  _him_ , tyler sees color because of  _jenna_ , and there's nothing in the world that josh wants more than to see his soulmate happy.

with or without him.

 

it happens slowly, so slowly that josh barley even notices until one day he wakes up and the world is back to being black and gray and white. and sure, he'd noticed things being less vibrant, but he'd blamed it on his lack of sleep and stress. he'd never heard of someone losing their color. color meant soulmates, and soulmates meant  _forever_. 

but maybe the universe was giving him a second chance. maybe someday he'd find someone who loved him the same way he would love them.

or maybe he'd never see color again.

either way, when josh searches himself, really reaches deep into his mind and soul, he finds that he's happy. with himself, with jenna and tyler. they deserve to be together, they were just meant to be. and josh is truly okay with that.

so he just grins before burying his face in his pillow and going back to sleep.

 

tyler says he's met someone. her name is debby ryan, and yes, it's the Disney channel star, and  _no, josh, you can't ask her for an autograph when she comes over on Saturday._

because their band had blown up quite a bit, tyler went to a fancy party with fancy people, most of whom were famous, while josh stayed at home in his sweatpants and watched TV. parties had never really been his thing anyway.

a mutual of tyler's and debby's introduced them to each other. they got to talking, until jenna wandered into the conversation, and the two girls hit it off  _big time_. so much, in fact, that jenna invited debby to the band's studio so they could talk more, and so  _she could meet josh, ty!_ and tyler, finding no problem with this, shrugged his shoulders and said, "yeah, that'd be pretty cool."

so now josh is waiting somewhat anxiously, because he doesn't consider himself famous but debby certainly  _is,_ and there's no Meeting Famous People For Dummies manual (trust him, he'd looked) to help him out. he decides to distract himself by tapping out a couple beats and rhythms on his drum set.

he's doing a pretty good job, because he doesn't realize the studio door is swinging open until he hears jenna's excited "debby!" before presumably wrapping the other girl in a hug. tyler's next, wrapping an arm around his girlfriend's waist as he greets the actress. josh realizes,  _oh shit, now i have to say something,_ and he clumsily tries to get out from behind his kit, but his foot catches on the cymbal and of course,  _of course,_ he crashes to the ground just as tyler and jenna and  _debby fucking ryan_ walk into the room he's in.

"dude! what the heck!"

"josh, are you okay?"

and yes, josh is fine (though his pride has taken quite a beating) and he's lifting his head to tell his friends so when his breath freezes in his lungs because he's staring into a pair of amber eyes and  _oh it's been so long._

debby ryan (debby ryan!) is crouched in front of him, probably trying to help him get up, but josh would much rather stay on the ground than attempt to get up just to fall down again, because he hasn't seen color in a couple of years but now it's back and it seems so much more  _vibrant_ than it did before and honestly, it's a little overwhelming. 

panic starts to fill his lungs after that because debby isn't acting shocked, she seems perfectly normal and josh starts to think it's happening again, he will fall in love with someone who doesn't love him back and then-

and then debby's lips (which are pink and look very soft and is it bad josh just wants to touch them?) part slightly and a sigh of amazement leaves her. she looks at josh and he shamelessly stares back. her hair is soft waves of caramel, long eyelashes framing her eyes, an adorable button nose pulling the masterpiece that is her face together. josh wants to reach out so badly, but he doesn't (you're not supposed to touch the art, after all.)

she, however, has no such restrictions and reaches out, her fingers slightly tracing out the colors of his sleeve tattoo on his arm. he watches her as she looks at the colors, and he can already feel his heart doing funny things, this is the best day-

tyler clears his throat and both josh and debby are pulled out of their little bubble. josh gets up, dusts himself off before looking at debby, his  _soulmate_ , his mouth curling into a smile on instinct. he sticks his hand out. "sorry about that. josh dun, nice to meet you."

her hand is small and soft and warm when she places it in his, and her voice nearly makes him fall back down because it's so pretty and perfect when she says, "debby ryan. the pleasure is all mine."

josh really can't stop looking at her, he physically cannot tear his eyes away so they all just stand there, debby's hand still in josh's, josh staring at debby, debby staring at josh, with tyler and jenna staring at the both of them.

it's been a while since tyler and jenna met, so he understands that they might've forgotten how overwhelming it is so meet the person you're destined to be with for the rest of your life. still, as they leave the room, debby and jenna leading the way, josh grins crookedly at tyler. "dude, I get that you want to spend every waking moment with me, but don't you think it would've been a little bit polite for you and jen to leave me alone with my soulmate back there?"

tyler stumbles and nearly runs into the door frame as josh laughs. "dude! what? josh! joshua william dun, you come back here right this second!"

 

tyler and jenna are getting married.

the first time he saw color, josh thought this moment would hurt. thought the soft hues of yellow and pink of the wedding's color scheme would shatter his heart. but instead, he smiles so hard and so wide his face might split. he watches as his best friend kisses the love of his life and whoops louder than anyone else. he grins when the newly wed couple cuts the cake, and laughs when jenna smears icing all over tyler's cheek. yeah, he cries. but not out of sadness, but because his best friend found love and their life together was going to be  _perfect_.

it's later in the evening, when josh is slowly swaying from side to side with debby in his arms, his face buried in the crook of her neck. she's humming quietly, because the reception is almost over and really, they're the only ones left, everyone else has gone home. they only stop dancing when tyler and jenna come over to say goodbye. they're headed off to their honeymoon in Hawaii.

"my feet are completely dead," tyler says by way of greeting as josh untangles himself from his girlfriend so he can hug him. they've changed from their wedding getup into more comfortable clothes, ready to catch their flight, and josh stares at tyler's shirt with a sense of nostalgia.

it's the shirt he was wearing all those years ago, playing Mario Kart on josh's couch, when josh looked over and saw color for the first time.

"yours are!" jenna scoffs. "I had to wear heels!"

"hey, and whose decision was that, mrs. joseph?"

"if you two could stop flirting like the teenagers you are and give us a proper goodbye, that'd be great," debby interrupts teasingly.

josh hugs all three of them, then hugs tyler once more for good measure. they joke about how josh would be a better husband than jenna will be a wife as they walk towards the exit. they say their final goodbyes, then the josephs are catching a cab and heading towards the airport.

the night is warm and josh and debby walk back to josh's car, their hands linked and swinging back and forth. josh drives them to the apartment they call home, and once they've changed into their pajamas they collapse into their bed. debby curls into his side, placing a kiss on his jawline because it's the closest part of him she can reach.

"love you," she murmurs, already half asleep.

josh looks at her in the moonlight, so perfect in his eyes. he kisses her forehead, her eyelids, her nose before wrapping his arms around her and smiling as she sighs happily.

"I love you too, debs," he whispers before closing his eyes.

even in his dreams, his world is filled with color.


End file.
